The Personality of Holden Caulfield in "The Catcher in the Rye"

In the novel, The Catcher in the Rye, by J.D. Salinger, Holden Caulfield is constantly pestered by phonies. He appears to be trying to establish his own personality in a world of conflicting attitudes in which he feels there is no guidance for him. Some people look at Holden as a prophet, showing the world just how horrible the world has become. Others regard Holden as a bad tempered manic depressed child who needs to mature. Holden in my opinion, however, should be looked upon as some sort of a prophet.

There is no doubting that Holden is very pure in some ways. It is his very goodness and openness in some aspects of life that lead him to his very difficulties in his life. He expects others to be as good as he is and this does not happen always. For example, when he is trying...